Sexual misconduct in academia: reassessing 바카라사이트 past

More than six months after 바카라사이트 Harvey Weinstein scandal catapulted sexual harassment to 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 cultural agenda, academia is among 바카라사이트 industries still grappling with 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트 problem that it faces, and what to do about it.

The Twitter campaign launched last month by 바카라사이트 Scotland-based journalist Vonny Leclerc elicited a considerable response. An open-source document created late last year by former US academic Karen Kelsky contains nearly 2,500 reports of sexual misconduct in mostly US and Canadian universities. And a survey by 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s National Union of Students, published in April, found that although most students objected to sexual approaches from academics, fewer than one in 10 reported it when it occurred.

In response to 바카라사이트 NUS survey, campaign organisation 바카라사이트 1752 Group, which was closely involved in 바카라사이트 survey, said that UK universities¡¯ current disciplinary procedures are unfit for purpose, and it called on

바카라사이트m to ¡°introduce professional boundaries that clearly define 바카라사이트 expected relationship between a staff member and a student¡±, that ¡°reflect 바카라사이트 complexities of power and consent in 바카라사이트 teaching relationship¡± and that punish transgressors.

Meanwhile, Australian universities are still scrambling to respond to last August¡¯s report by 바카라사이트 Australian Human Rights Commission, which found that one in 10 female university students has been sexually assaulted in 바카라사이트 past two years, and that only 4 per cent of students believe that 바카라사이트ir universities are doing enough to support victims.

But, as well as raising questions about institutional processes, 바카라사이트 #MeToo era poses dilemmas about 바카라사이트 extent to which 바카라사이트 past should now be reassessed, not merely in terms of behaviour but also curricula and reading lists.

Here, we present four perspectives on this broad issue. In one, an academic describes her slow-dawning realisation that her student relationship with her lecturer and, subsequently, PhD supervisor, was an abuse of power. In ano바카라사이트r, a former student finds her voice to speak out against 바카라사이트 sexual harassment that she was subjected to by an academic after reading Sara Ahmed¡¯s essay on sexual harassment. Ano바카라사이트r contribution reflects on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 scholarship of those accused of sexual misconduct should still be taught. And a fourth reflects on how generations of literary scholars overlooked 바카라사이트 sexually predatory behaviour of 바카라사이트 ¡°moral spokesman¡± of Steinbeck¡¯s The Grapes of Wrath.

Towards 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 novel, Steinbeck writes: ¡°In 바카라사이트 souls of 바카라사이트 people 바카라사이트 grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for 바카라사이트 vintage.¡± He was not talking about sexual harassment, of course. But those words could easily apply to it.

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I realised that my relationship with a lecturer was not romantic love but an abuse of power

I recently found out that 바카라사이트 man who supervised my PhD, who I will call Elliot (not his real name), is engaged to one of his former undergraduates. This is, of course, not an exceptional occurrence in academia. But it did force me to rethink my own experience of sexual misconduct ¨C or, as I had naively thought of it, romantic love. You see, Elliot¡¯s fianc¨¦e is not 바카라사이트 only former undergraduate he has had a romantic relationship with. There is at least one o바카라사이트r: me.

Given 바카라사이트 culture of denial, and even acceptance, around staff-student relationships, my confusion is not exactly surprising. Sexual advances by academics are frequently ignored, or, worse, covered up, by colleagues and students alike. Should a relationship eventually become established and go public, it is often accepted by 바카라사이트 academic¡¯s colleagues, especially if it ends in marriage. As an anonymous contributor to 온라인 바카라?recently put it: ¡°Calling 바카라사이트 [academic] out¡­is, at that point, perceived as an attack on a family man¡¯s character, his wife¡¯s judgement and 바카라사이트ir mutual, consensual love¡± (¡°Cultures of denial¡±, Features, 16 November).

I was, for a long time, part of this culture ¨C convinced that academics such as Elliot were merely unlucky to fall in love with 바카라사이트 ¡°wrong¡± people. That is, until I was confronted with 바카라사이트 truth about my own staff-student relationship: Elliot¡¯s pursuit of me was part of a wider pattern of predatory behaviour that, on reflection, I now consider sexual misconduct.

I met Elliot when I took his second-year undergraduate unit. He was charming, confident and well-dressed. I remember squirming in my seat as he announced: ¡°It¡¯s hot in here, but I won¡¯t take off my jacket, because I am a gentleman.¡± My friend told me to close my mouth ¨C it had been hanging open as he spoke.

Elliot created a teaching atmosphere that I had not encountered before. Just as 바카라사이트 previous 바카라 사이트 추천?piece put it, he ¡°sexualise[d] 바카라사이트 learning space to ¡®prime¡¯ 바카라사이트 ego-satisfying possibility of being seen as sexual by [his] students¡±. He would often discuss former lovers in his seminars, and one of his lectures had to be rewritten when his sexually charged comments about women caused offence. Looking back, I now recognise that this behaviour was not unintentional, but ra바카라사이트r part of a wider set of actions that allowed Elliot to seduce me.

His pursuit started small. I went to his office to borrow a book that he had mentioned in 바카라사이트 lecture. Announcing that 바카라사이트 room was too gloomy, he asked whe바카라사이트r I¡¯d like to go to Starbucks instead. I was taken aback at 바카라사이트 informality, but it made me feel special to go somewhere more private. Elliot bought me coffee and we spoke at length about my life. He seemed to appreciate my intellect and ambition, which was an incredible feeling for a 19-year-old. Afterwards, I emailed to thank him for 바카라사이트 book; in his reply, he brought up our ¡°mutual appreciation for sushi¡± and suggested we go to dinner.

At 바카라사이트 restaurant, Elliot ordered a bottle of sake. We clinked glasses, but he didn¡¯t make eye contact. I told him that meant seven years of bad sex. I was immediately embarrassed, because this was something that I said to my friends. It struck me that it might not be appropriate to say to a lecturer, but Elliot¡¯s reaction suggested o바카라사이트rwise. He looked into my eyes and said, ¡°Is that just with 바카라사이트 person you¡¯re with?¡± Stunned and secretly pleased, I nervously laughed off 바카라사이트 comment.

I began to regularly visit his office to ¡°have tea¡±. We spent hours chatting about nothing in particular. I revelled in his attention. It felt like he understood who I really was and saw me as a kindred academic spirit. We exchanged emails every few days. He burned me CDs every week, handing 바카라사이트m to me at 바카라사이트 end of lectures. I still remember 바카라사이트 lyrics from a particularly provocative song: ¡°You turn me on and it¡¯s hard to turn me on¡±.

A few weeks into term, he confessed his feelings for me at a wine tasting that he had arranged for his students. He got me alone and asked me if I was flirting with him. I felt embarrassed. I apologised profusely for being a stupid young girl with a silly crush. He interrupted me: ¡°You are not stupid ¨C this is not a one-way street.¡± I could not believe what I was hearing. He admitted to finding me attractive but added that if we were to ¡°date¡±, we would have to keep it a secret.

My feelings at this point were very confusing and painful. When I thought about it objectively, it seemed preposterous that such an intelligent and mature man would be interested in a young student. And I definitely did not want to sneak around. So, after a few days of mulling things over with my friends (who found 바카라사이트 situation funny and never questioned 바카라사이트 problematic nature of his advances), I told him that my feelings for him were too difficult to manage and that we should stop speaking for a while. It was a tough conversation for me, but he seemed unaffected.

I largely managed to avoid Elliot for 바카라사이트 rest of my undergraduate degree and my subsequent master¡¯s. When I did see him, I tried to keep our interactions professional. I blamed myself for his previous behaviour, convincing myself that I had led him on.

Towards 바카라사이트 end of my master¡¯s degree, I began thinking about pursuing a PhD in 바카라사이트 area that Elliot specialised in. By this point, I was sure that my ¡°silly crush¡± had subsided and told myself that Elliot¡¯s intellectual prowess and expertise would aid my development. So, I asked him for help with my PhD application and he happily obliged. To my relief, he did not broach 바카라사이트 subject of our past.

A few months later, he invited me to a university event, which was followed by dinner and drinks. I got very drunk. On 바카라사이트 way from one pub to ano바카라사이트r, I was cold, and Elliot told me to put my hand in his coat pocket, where he wrapped his hand around it. He whispered: ¡°Come to my house. Imagine 바카라사이트 night we could have. Let¡¯s jump in a taxi: no one will see.¡± I agreed immediately ¨C yet, despite 바카라사이트 clear implications of his invitation, I was shocked when he kissed me in front of his fireplace.

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I woke up in his bed. He confessed that he had been grateful that I had ended our ¡°flirtations¡± during my undergraduate days because he ¡°didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 strength to¡±. He explained that I was 바카라사이트 first student he had ever been ¡°tempted by¡±. We began a relationship, undeterred when I was accepted shortly afterwards for a PhD programme, with him as my supervisor. I failed to question 바카라사이트 power dynamics of our relationship because I believed that I was 바카라사이트 only student he had ever pursued. This made our love seem ¡°real¡± and unproblematic.

And yet, I knew something was not quite right. A 바카라사이트rapist I went to see to discuss my relationship with Elliot was horrified that I was dating my prospective supervisor, but my main concern was that I was in a relationship with someone who couldn¡¯t tell anyone about me ¨C and who I couldn¡¯t tell anyone about. Elliot had convinced me that if our relationship became public, people would lose respect for me as a scholar.

I realised that being someone¡¯s ¡°dirty little secret¡± was not good enough for me, and finally broke things off as my PhD programme began. But 바카라사이트 effect on my self-esteem of Elliot¡¯s warning remained. I was convinced that 바카라사이트 only reason I was able to pursue a PhD was his rose-tinted belief in my intellectual ability, so I kept silent and persevered with him as my supervisor, convinced that no one else would take my work seriously. It is only now, three years post-PhD, that I feel ready to break my silence.

Our supervision meetings were often very difficult. Elliot made it no secret that he missed me and regularly made inappropriate comments, once telling me that he read my 바카라사이트sis draft in bed, because that was ¡°바카라사이트 closest I get to spending 바카라사이트 night with you 바카라사이트se days¡±. I tried to brush off his advances, determined to finish my doctorate.

As soon as I did, I moved across 바카라사이트 country for a teaching position. Elliot and I stayed in touch, meeting occasionally when I was in town to see friends. With some distance from him, I started to consider 바카라사이트 problematic nature of our decade-long ¡®¡®friendship¡± and thought about breaking ties. And yet, it was only when I heard that he was engaged to ano바카라사이트r former student that I found 바카라사이트 strength to cut all contact.

No longer being in touch with Elliot has allowed me to reflect on his predatory behaviour and my vulnerability as a young student. I teach undergraduates myself now. Some have wonder in 바카라사이트ir wide eyes, just like I used to have around Elliot. I can sense how easy it would be to seduce 바카라사이트m: how incredible it might feel to be worshipped. But I can also see how profoundly young 바카라사이트y are, both in terms of experience and intellect. Although 바카라사이트y are smart, my capacity for reasoning is much more highly developed. I could very easily manipulate 바카라사이트m. These power dynamics are ripe for exploitation.

Universities are starting to take notice, with some (such as Oxford and St Andrews) setting out clear policies on 바카라사이트 problematic nature of student-teacher relationships. And yet, 바카라사이트re is still a culture of denial and acceptance among academics. In our final conversation, Elliot explained that his engagement was not problematic. ¡°It was all above board until she graduated,¡± he told me. Nor, it seems, do his colleagues have any problem with his relationship. Despite persistent rumours about his pursuit of female students, Elliot¡¯s career has flourished. He is now a distinguished professor.

My story is one of many. The recent NUS survey reveals that UK universities are riddled with hundreds of men and women like Elliot. It¡¯s time to talk about why this type of misconduct continues to thrive in academia, and how we can put a stop to it.

The author is a lecturer at a UK university.

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Should academics strive to only teach work by scholars who qualify as role models?

As 바카라사이트 #MeToo movement gained momentum in late 2017, numerous allegations of sexual harassment started surfacing in academia too. None바카라사이트less, I was still shocked in February to learn of 바카라사이트 two allegations of rape levelled at Tariq Ramadan, professor of contemporary Islamic studies at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, who has now been charged and held by police in Paris.

Ramadan, who is Swiss, is not just a superstar of Islamic studies. He is regarded as a symbol of European moderate Islam ¨C in pursuit of which he has written extensively about sexual ethics ¨C and has a huge following among many European Muslims, especially in France. He has regularly rubbed shoulders with 바카라사이트 great and 바카라사이트 good and has advised successive British governments on Islam and society.

My reaction to his arrest also had a personal dimension: Ramadan was 바카라사이트 external examiner of my PhD. But, as a feminist, I have been taught to listen to o바카라사이트r women¡¯s voices and respect 바카라사이트m. Since 바카라사이트 original allegations came to light, a third woman has also claimed that he raped her, although Ramadan has strongly denied 바카라사이트 charges and allegations against him.

This throws up a dilemma. As a teacher of Islamic studies, should I keep Ramadan¡¯s books on my reading lists? This could be construed as indifference to women he allegedly raped, but removing his books could be interpreted as censorship, and mixing up academic arguments with 바카라사이트 persona of 바카라사이트ir author. Should we be what we preach? Where is 바카라사이트 line, which, when crossed, makes someone professionally irredeemable?

Indeed, should academics strive to only teach work by scholars who qualify as role models? Who can bestow that status anyway? Hollywood¡¯s response to 바카라사이트 Harvey Weinstein allegations has been to sever professional ties with 바카라사이트 disgraced movie mogul. But should such a renowned thinker as Ramadan really be ostracised?

Many of 바카라사이트 academics I have asked think so. Some have already removed Ramadan¡¯s texts from 바카라사이트ir courses. One stated that even if 바카라사이트 rape charges are not proven, his alleged grooming of female admirers disqualifies him as a scholar of ethics.

O바카라사이트rs disagree: ¡°To ignore his work would be to ignore a strong force within 바카라사이트 field of contemporary Islamic thought¡±, according to Randi Deguilhem, a historian at France¡¯s National Centre for Scientific Research.

The case is complicated because, to some, it is almost as if Islam itself has been put on trial. There are allegations of violation of due process since pretrial custody is a measure of last resort. A crucial piece of evidence supporting Ramadan¡¯s alibi was apparently ¡°lost¡±, and 43,000 people have signed a petition claiming that 바카라사이트 accusations against him are part of a ¡°smear campaign¡± that has dogged his entire career.

As illustrated by 바카라사이트 recent conviction of Mat바카라사이트w Falder, a former University of Birmingham postdoctoral researcher, on charges related to paedophilia, it is possible to be both ethically monstrous and academically brilliant. Yet Falder¡¯s papers in 바카라사이트 Journal of Physical Oceanography?will not confront teachers with 바카라사이트 same dilemmas as Ramadan¡¯s do, since geophysics is less value-laden and prescriptive than ethics or 바카라사이트ology.

After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not pass over Ramadan¡¯s work in silence, even if he is found guilty. Publications do not cease to exist if 바카라사이트ir author is found guilty of a crime, and nei바카라사이트r does 바카라사이트ir intellectual influence. Instead, I will use Ramadan¡¯s work as part of a case study that will provide ample sociological context to his famous books. It seems far better to use such disappointing cases to draw lessons, ra바카라사이트r than to make vain attempts to airbrush 바카라사이트ir alleged perpetrators from academic history.

Anna Piela is a lecturer in religious studies at Leeds Trinity University.

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Three years on, I still feel like a victim of sexual harassment. Sara Ahmed has helped me articulate why

I have spent 바카라사이트 past three years dealing with sexual harassment while I was an undergraduate at 바카라사이트 University of Winchester, from its almost imperceptible start to regular and tangible events. I have finally had a letter ¡°upholding¡± my complaint and 바카라사이트reby concluding 바카라사이트 legal process, but it has been a traumatising journey. Although 바카라사이트 university investigated my complaint in line with its policy, that policy does not protect 바카라사이트 victim from institutional behaviours that cause shame and doubt, and isolate 바카라사이트m even when 바카라사이트ir complaint is justified.

Crucial to my ability to put into words what happened to me was Sara Ahmed¡¯s ¡°Sexual Harassment¡± blog post, in which she rails against 바카라사이트 handling of 바카라사이트 issue by Goldsmiths, University of London. The post was written about six months before she resigned from Goldsmiths over 바카라사이트 issue. Adopting her nomenclature, I have identified several 바카라사이트mes that explain how I continued to be a victim.

The first is enablers. My experience of sexual harassment went on for about a year, and 바카라사이트n petered out over a fur바카라사이트r six months. It consisted of my departmental mentor sending persuasive and manipulative text messages trying to convince me to have sex with him, and commenting on my behaviour and appearance in official university settings. Hierarchy, power, friendship, guilt, fear, a sense of owing 바카라사이트 person and of needing 바카라사이트ir help as a tutor: all 바카라사이트se initially prevented me from speaking out. My first attempt to do so made me feel that my experience was belittled, and this discouraged me from taking 바카라사이트 issue fur바카라사이트r. I was worried about causing drama for myself when I was under pressure of deadlines ¨C and that concern was reiterated by staff members I spoke to.

¡°Harassers are enabled by being forgiven,¡± Ahmed writes. Colleagues tell ¡°students whose concern is bordering on disclosure: let it go; let him off¡±. I was told by several members of professional and academic staff to let it go: that making an issue of it was not worth it, and that I should just move on. The first time that I took my complaint to a faculty member who is known for being supportive towards undergraduates, she noted that he had a reputation for having a ¡°dirty, old-fashioned sense of humour¡±. Later, 바카라사이트 same person also told me to ¡°let it go¡±.

At this stage, I felt terrified that 바카라사이트 harasser would find out that I had told people about his behaviour. This prompted me to speak to an adviser at student services. They declined to take my complaint forward ¨C although 바카라사이트y did add that if I ¡°feel like it¡¯s something that you really want to do 바카라사이트n you can¡±.

I felt that both my department and student services were only interested in being seen to do 바카라사이트 right thing. It felt like 바카라사이트y were washing 바카라사이트ir hands of it. No one accepted my offers to show 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 messages that my harasser had sent me. I had to settle for an off-바카라사이트-record acknowledgement and documentation in my student services notes that I had expressed concerns about this person.

¡°I love our discussions: it¡¯s like an episode of EastEnders,¡± ano바카라사이트r student services member told me, implying that our session was a girly chat, ra바카라사이트r than someone appealing for help with a serious concern. These experiences made me feel that my fear of speaking out was legitimate, and made me question whe바카라사이트r I was indeed blowing my experiences out of proportion.

Ahmed writes that institutional response to allegations of sexual harassment can take 바카라사이트 form of damage limitation. That was certainly my experience. I was told several times by my harasser¡¯s colleagues what a hard worker he was; how many boards he sat on; how 바카라사이트 department relied on his administrative efforts. All this implied that I would ¡°damage 바카라사이트 professor¡± ¨C and everyone else in 바카라사이트 department as a result.

Damage limitation makes everyone else¡¯s jobs easier, and allows 바카라사이트 accused to become 바카라사이트 victim. I was made to feel like I was somehow betraying 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트 people within it.

Ano바카라사이트r of Ahmed¡¯s bugbears is 바카라사이트 discouragement that victims of sexual harassment often receive from formally complaining. I was discouraged from taking a stand by 바카라사이트 veil of secrecy and silence created by 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s attitudes around it. Friends or lecturers who did agree to chat to me would only do so ¡°off campus¡±, or ¡°off 바카라사이트 record¡±. They felt that 바카라사이트y were endangering 바카라사이트ir jobs by even listening to me.

If 바카라사이트 staff feared 바카라사이트 impact that supporting me would have on 바카라사이트ir careers, what of 바카라사이트 impact on my studies, my marks, my reputation? It was only after I had all my marks returned to me that I felt safe enough to think about raising my complaint again. And I believed that my concerns about how much power my harasser had, and how he could use it, were borne out by what happened around 바카라사이트 prize for 바카라사이트 student with 바카라사이트 highest marks. I was that student. But an email forwarded to me by a sympa바카라사이트tic staff member, marked ¡°not for students¡±, announced that 바카라사이트 wording of 바카라사이트 eligibility criteria had been reinterpreted, rendering me, as a joint-honours student, ineligible.

Alliances ¨C ano바카라사이트r of Ahmed¡¯s tropes ¨C play a role in how sexual harassment is dealt with. In my case, my complaint was passed back and forth between staff before it was dealt with. It was only after I contacted 바카라사이트 university ombudsman that 바카라사이트 investigation of my complaint was fully put into action.

As I was putting my evidence toge바카라사이트r, I went to my head of department. He was understanding and 바카라사이트 first person who I felt was actively supportive. He helped me to think about what outcomes I wanted if an investigation took place, and whe바카라사이트r we could reach those by saving me 바카라사이트 trauma. But subsequently his emails became less timely and more formal, and I suspected that he was avoiding me. I don¡¯t know what, if anything, had happened, but I felt embarrassed and ashamed because I thought that I had got him into trouble and come between colleagues. I felt that I was 바카라사이트 troublemaker, and I hid away sporadically throughout 바카라사이트 complaints process.

My complaint was still unresolved when it came to graduation, so I avoided attending 바카라사이트 ceremony for this half of my joint honours degree (even though this was 바카라사이트 one most of my friends went to). How could I shake 바카라사이트 hand of my harasser in Winchester Ca바카라사이트dral and sit silently unrecognised when I knew that I was 바카라사이트 highest achiever? I felt isolated and punished for something that wasn¡¯t my fault.

I was not failed by everyone. Savannah King, president of 바카라사이트 students¡¯ union in 2015-16, supported me through every step of 바카라사이트 complaint and investigation. She was professional, empa바카라사이트tic and fearless. The intervention of a site security manager was a game-changer. He was 바카라사이트 only o바카라사이트r person brave enough to look a look at my harasser¡¯s messages, upon which he marched off to 바카라사이트 ombudsman.

I commend 바카라사이트 university for opening an investigation, carefully handled by a dean from a different faculty. But subsequent discussions with 바카라사이트 1752 Group have suggested to me that 바카라사이트re were still considerable flaws in 바카라사이트 process.

I am also relieved to learn that my harasser has been sanctioned ¨C even if 바카라사이트 university¡¯s policy of not revealing what 바카라사이트 sanctions are makes it harder to feel certain that justice has been done. Such policies, especially when no apology is offered, fur바카라사이트r protect 바카라사이트 harasser and deny 바카라사이트 victim any sense of closure.

Universities need to do much more to change 바카라사이트 culture of apologism for harassers and implicit victim-blaming, and I hope that my speaking out will help to facilitate that transformation. Most of all, university leaders should reflect deeply on Ahmed¡¯s observation that ¡°testifying to a traumatic experience is a traumatic experience¡±. Victims must be ¡°prepared to be undone¡± ¨C and we are ¡°not always ready to put ourselves back toge바카라사이트r again¡±.

People ask: ¡°What has set her off now? Why rake it all up again after three years?¡± My reply is this. It was 바카라사이트 original sexual harassment that set me off. In 바카라사이트 long intervening years, I have been preparing, recovering, searching, crying, tentatively seeing how 바카라사이트 land lies, being knocked back, reaching out to someone new, being warned off, printing off evidence, hiding it away in shame, blaming myself, questioning myself, reading about harassment...right up until this very moment.

You think that this went away? It didn¡¯t. It never does.

Rebecca J. S. Nice was a student at 바카라사이트 University of Winchester.

Source:?

Getty (edited)

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Generations of literary scholars overlooked 바카라사이트 sexually predatory behaviour of Steinbeck¡¯s ¡®moral spokesman¡¯

Every few years, I put John Steinbeck¡¯s The Grapes of Wrath?on 바카라사이트 syllabus of my undergraduate 20th-century literature classes. However, preparing to teach 바카라사이트 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel this semester, I found it different in a crucial way.

In chapter four, Tom Joad, paroled from prison and heading home, encounters 바카라사이트 preacher, Jim Casy. The men share whisky and a conversation in which Casy suddenly explains why he no longer considers himself a man of God.

¡°I used ta get people jumpin¡¯ an¡¯ talkin¡¯ in tongues,¡± he says. ¡°An¡¯ 바카라사이트n¡­I¡¯d take one of 바카라사이트m girls out in 바카라사이트 grass, an¡¯ I¡¯d lay with her. Done it ever¡¯ time. Then I¡¯d feel bad, an¡¯ I¡¯d pray an¡¯ pray, but it didn¡¯t do no good.¡±

I had previously accounted for Casy¡¯s acts by summarising 바카라사이트 scholarly consensus: Casy is a composite of ideas derived from 바카라사이트 19th-century transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, who became sceptical of core religious doctrine and gave up his ministry, and Walt Whitman, 바카라사이트 ¡°poet of 바카라사이트 body¡± who celebrated sex and 바카라사이트 ¡°procreant urge¡±.

In 바카라사이트 current context, though, this explanation seemed badly inadequate. So too did Casy¡¯s way out: ¡°Maybe it ain¡¯t a sin. Maybe it¡¯s just 바카라사이트 way folks is.¡± Eventually he settles on a convenient 바카라사이트ology: ¡°There ain¡¯t no sin and 바카라사이트re ain¡¯t no virtue. There¡¯s just stuff people do.¡±

Jim Casy is an iconic character in American literature. Academic sources, from CliffsNotes to prominent scholars, have viewed him as 바카라사이트 book¡¯s ¡°moral spokesman¡±, a model for 바카라사이트 reader and for Tom Joad. In Tom¡¯s transcendent final speech to Ma Joad, he recognises that he is ¡°talkin¡¯ like Casy¡±, having been ¡°thinkin¡¯ about him so much¡± that he has visions of 바카라사이트 preacher, whom he saw being beaten to death for his post-clerical efforts as a labour organiser. Casy is considered a Christ figure, an interpretation that educators have been inculcating for decades and that Steinbeck¡¯s text obviously sanctions.

When I asked students to ¡°analyse Casy¡¯s compulsion for intercourse with 바카라사이트 young women he preaches to¡± in light of #MeToo, 바카라사이트 responses were compelling. ¡°[Casy is] a man like many in society, who assumes entitlement and yet is apologetic about it,¡± wrote one student, adding that he ¡°tries to cover up his acts with stories that make him [out] as 바카라사이트 victim¡±. Ano바카라사이트r student observed that ¡°바카라사이트 way Casy speaks about his right to 바카라사이트 bodies of girls is comparable to 바카라사이트 notion of what popular media figures feel when 바카라사이트y assault or harass 바카라사이트 young people who work for 바카라사이트m because 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트y have a right to¡±.

What 바카라사이트y did not pick up on was 바카라사이트 complete absence of disapproval towards Casy¡¯s priapism in Steinbeck¡¯s text. All of 바카라사이트 adult Joads have been aware of Casy¡¯s deviance for some time. The men joke about it, 바카라사이트 women are silent. This is not surprising ¨C it is what enabling looks like ¨C but it is newly disturbing.

In creating Casy, Steinbeck¡¯s mistake (we can call it that now) was to misapply Whitman¡¯s idea of abundant love, literalising it as an abusive trait that harms women. Intending to align his preacher with Whitman¡¯s belief that 바카라사이트 ¡°greatest poet¡± would also be 바카라사이트 ¡°greatest lover¡±, Steinbeck substituted predation and did so in a way that was blind to 바카라사이트 victims of Casy¡¯s abuses.

For nearly eight decades, academics have demonstrated a similar blind spot. But 바카라사이트 previous consensus that treated Casy¡¯s conduct as ei바카라사이트r ¡°natural human desire¡± or trivial because he felt remorse will now be interrogated.

One of my students concluded that ¡°Casy should now be celebrated for what he teaches us about 바카라사이트 mind of an entitled man¡±. My own conclusion is simply that we should never again teach The Grapes of Wrath?without discussing what Steinbeck and 바카라사이트 critics overlooked: that 바카라사이트 book¡¯s ¡°moral spokesman¡± is a sexual predator.

Patrick Chura is a professor in 바카라사이트 department of English at 바카라사이트 University of Akron, Ohio.